


Depravity of the Devil

by SuicideChild



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A lot of people who died are actually alive, Adam is pissed off, Also Sam finds a dog, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Dean doesn't like the dog, Because the dog follows him around everywhere, Castiel in the Bunker, Castiel plays God, Charlie in the Bunker, Dean doesn't like Lucifer, Dean isn't gay, Except he totally is, F/M, I promise that this will be chock-full of smut, Lucifer gets topside again, Lucifer is actually a total sweetheart, M/M, Michael may be a little nuts, Most of the time, Sam is needy, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:56:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuicideChild/pseuds/SuicideChild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During his time in hell, Sam fell in love with Lucifer, and maybe, just maybe, Lucifer fell in love with Sam. Which is why when Castiel comes to rescue Sam, Lucifer keeps Sam’s soul while the rest of him is pulled from the pit, and this soul is Lucifer’s only comfort in the cage until Death comes and steals it from him to put it back in Sam’s body, and makes Sam forget his time with Lucifer- and Lucifer can feel the walls, blocking those tender memories. When Castiel breaks down the walls keeping Sam safe and sane from the memories of hell while Castiel is trying to play God, Sam remembers the love he developed for the Devil, which is why he so desperately tries to ignore Hallucifer, not wanting to reignite whatever he felt. However, when Castiel comes back to his senses and gets rid of Hallucifer for Sam, Sam feels empty, and maybe even a little lonely. Which is why he recruits (forces?) Death to help him pop Lucifer’s box again, and help the Devil walk the earth once more. Sam manages to set Lucifer free, however, he also ends up setting Michael free, and a very angry Adam Milligan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'll Hold the Match to You This Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this chapter has very minor violence.  
> I will be adding warnings at the beginning of each chapter if needed, so make sure to read the notes.  
> I hope to be updating this at least once a week, but with me you never know. I may need gentle reminders to update this, because I am so very forgetful. And I am also the king of procrastination.  
> I'm also stupid, and leave my laptop open where annoying little brothers can delete things, which is why this is being posted a second time. Lucky me, I keep things saved.

Though Hell could have burnt through to his very soul, Sam was kept safe by the winter of Lucifer's presence which kept the fire at bay. However, despite the Devil's presence, all was quiet. And the silence was vast and maddening, pounding into Sam's sanity, breaking it. Perhaps that's what Lucifer wanted. For Sam to go mad, kept safe from the flames, but slowly burning internally by an illness of the mind caused by the deadly silence, and the still of their shared prison, because Lucifer was mad that Sam had dragged him back down into the Cage. Perhaps he just didn't have anything to say, or he was waiting to be spoken to.

In any case, Sam was left alone with his thoughts and the unrelenting cold, making Hell at least somewhat bearable.

Because he certainly wasn't going to break the silence.

And so he thought.

He thought about the fall.

He remembered the feeling of separation as the fall forced Lucifer from his body, Lucifer trying to grasp and hold on, and the tearing feeling at Sam's soul. He remembered steel grey wings wrapping around him as he plummeted once the pain of ripping stopped, a presence pressed against his back, keeping him safe from impact when the falling stopped. It still rattled his bones, but he wasn't hurt. And then the presence disappeared, leaving Sam to writhe in the flames as they burnt his skin.

Lucifer hadn't made an appearance for a couple of days. Or maybe it had only been minutes. There was no sense of time in the Cage. But when he did, it was only his cold presence again, a sense of relief from the fire, and the steel grey feathers engulfing Sam, keeping him safe, keeping the heat away.

After that, Sam allowed himself to slip in and out of consciousness, getting some much needed sleep.

Currently, he was awake, and he could feel the cold press if Lucifer against his back.

The silence hung heavy for a very long time, and then finally, after Sam thought he couldn't bear it anymore, it was broken by a feminine voice, "Your thoughts are very loud."

Sam felt the presence behind him shift, and he turned to be met with Jess, leaned forward over her knees which were pressed against her chest, blonde curls falling around her face. This made Sam's heart ache, and caused him to choke on a soft sob. However, Sam wasn't stupid. He knew that this wasn't Jess, and that Lucifer was simply wearing her face. Probably to just mess with him.

"I'm not trying to mess with you, Sam." Lucifer said, "Simply trying to make you comfortable." He suddenly shifted appearances, taking on the features of Nick, Lucifer's temporary vessel, "Perhaps this makes you more comfortable?" He tilted his head in the same way that reminded Sam of Castiel. Did all angels do that?

Sam inhaled deeply, "Why have you been so quiet this entire time?" He asked.

Lucifer frowned a little, "I didn't know what to say." He admitted at length.

It fell silent for a long while again, the two just staring at each other. Sam wasn't sure how much time passed until he spoke again. "Where are Michael and Adam?" Was what he chose to say.

Lucifer frowned a little more, "They are somewhere in the Cage." He said.

Sam snorted, "Very helpful, Luci." He said with a shake of his head.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Lucifer's lips, "Did you... did you just call me Luci?" He asked, amusement lacing his quiet voice.

"I guess I did." Sam answered, trying to sound indifferent about the matter.

Silence came back. It wasn't as uncomfortable as it was when Lucifer had first shown up. This silence wasn't heavy and threatening. It was just there.

Sam was the one to break it once again, with another question, "Where did you go after we fell?"

Lucifer's brow knitted, "I had to repair myself." He said, flexing his shoulders, "The fall did not fare well on my being." He explained, "I was weakened by the impact."

A twinge of guilt sparked in Sam's chest, and Lucifer smiled, "I chose to protect you from the fall, as my brother did for Adam. You humans would have died from the impact." He said, "So frail and breakable."

Sam scowled defensively, "I am not frail _or_ breakable!" He shouted.

This caused a low, rumbling to well up in Lucifer's chest. It took a moment for Sam to realize that Lucifer was laughing. He smiled cruelly at Sam, and to prove a point, he stood up, and grabbed Sam by the arm, jerking him to his feet roughly. He then twisted Sam's arm, forcing him to turn around, and jerked it upwards behind his back with a painful snap. Sam made a quiet noise as he felt the bone break just above his elbow. The ungodly angle caused the jaggedly broken bone to shift and cut through muscle and flesh, making Sam lean his head back and squeeze his eyes shut tight as blood trickled down his back.

For some reason, the sensation made him convulse. Perhaps it was because of the fact that he could feel his bone sticking out of his skin, but his body folded in on himself, and he would have doubled over and collapsed if not for Lucifer's painful grip on his broken arm.

"Oh, Sam... you are very breakable. I could bend you and break you in any way I choose." His voice was still the calm tone it had been when he had first spoken, only not as quiet and tender as it had been. He twisted Sam's arm even more, tugging it upwards painfully, making Sam gasp. After a few more minutes of twisting and torturing the broken bone, Lucifer let go of Sam's arm and shoved him roughly to his knees, causing the moose of a man to groan. He crouched behind Sam, cold breath washing over his ear, and grabbed a fistful of the long chestnut locks, jerking Sam's head back, making him look at the endless darkness above them, "And Sam? I would have no remorse. I could pick you apart and piece you back together only to break you down again and again and again." He whispered. "And I would enjoy it. You put me here, Sam. I would take great pleasure in torturing you, because you are frail, and you are fragile, and you are certainly-" He paused and grabbed Sam's broken arm, producing another groan, "-very, very breakable. Do you understand, Sam?" He finished.

Sam nodded, not able to speak for fear his voice would crack. The air had shifted so quickly he hadn't been expecting it, not that he could have defended himself anyways. He heard Lucifer hum in approval as his cold presence backed away, and his fingers dropped from Sam's hair. Sam then felt his bone begin to shift back into place very slowly. He dropped his head forward again and hissed. Finally, it reconnected and mended itself, as did the skin and muscle, and the pain drained away.

However, the blood was still there, and beginning to dry in his clothes. Lucifer did nothing to deal with this. He simply sat back down beside Sam and wrapped his wings back around him. Sam took a deep breath, trying to regain control of his voice, "I understand, Lucifer." He rasped out finally. The dejected sigh behind him made him turn around to look at Lucifer.

The Devil was sitting again, with his knees tucked to his chest, wearing Jessica's face again. "I'm sorry, Sam." He said in that soft, feminine voice that Sam missed so much, especially now that he was in the Cage, and he sounded sincere, however, Sam just wanted to punch him in the face now. "I can't have you so cocky in here. It'll get you hurt." His voice was quiet again, and he looked very unhappy.

Sam sighed, "It's fine." He said reluctantly. He hated seeing the unhappy look on the face of the woman he had loved so long ago.

Lucifer smiled a little, "Thank you."

Sam shook his head and yawned. A second later, he felt something soft beneath him, and realized that there was a pile of blankets and pillows that he was now sitting on. "I figured that this would be more comfortable than sleeping on the ground." Lucifer replied in response to Sam's puzzled look.

"Oh." Sam sorted out the pillows and wrapped himself in the blankets, which were soft and warm. Sam let out a content sigh and drifted off to sleep again, warm, and safe from the fire. The blood on his shirt, however, was a bit of a discomfort, but he quickly solved that by removing his shirt and sleeping without it.

He felt Lucifer watching him, as usual, as he drifted off. It became more of a comfort, than anything. Right before he fell asleep, he noticed Lucifer's hand on his shoulder, a brief, cold touch. His hand was rough and calloused, and too big to belong to Jess, so Sam assumed that he was back in Nick's form again.

 ◈

Lucifer watched Sam sleep for awhile, before allowing his mind to wander. He reached out with his grace to try to find his brother. It took a couple minutes, but he located Michael eventually.

 _'I hope you're playing nice, Lucifer.'_  Came Michael's voice through Lucifer's subconscious.

The other archangel scoffed,  _'I could say the same to you, Michael. Don't hurt Adam and I won't hurt Sam.'_  Lucifer responded.

He could hear Michael chuckle,  _'Deal.'_  He agreed.

Lucifer settled down beside Sam, still keeping his wings wrapped around them as a barrier against the flames of Hell.

Lucifer closed his eyes, and just kind of meditated next to Sam, since sleep never came to an angel unless they were forced into sleep. He thought much of the sleeping form next to him. The longer he lied there thinking, the filthier his thoughts about his companion got.

He got a warm feeling that was out of place in his cold body, and frowned, looking down. He was unsure of what he was experiencing, but it kind of hurt, so he decided to wake Sam. He shook him gently, "Sam." He said, his tone a little urgent.

Sam slowly woke up and looked at Lucifer, "What is it? I thought you were going to let me sleep."

Lucifer pointed to the bulge in his jeans, "Something is happening. How do I make it stop."

Sam stared at Lucifer, bewildered for a second, searching his concerned and confused features. And then he burst out laughing, "You're serious?" He through bouts of laughter.

Lucifer nodded.

"Luci, you created lust! How do you not know anything about it?" Sam asked.

Lucifer blinked, "I don't know, I've been locked in this cage for a good portion of my life. I haven't had time to experiment, so how the fuck do I get rid of this?" He snapped.

Sam sighed, "Can't you just use your grace to make it go down?" He asked.

Lucifer frowned, why hadn't he thought of that? He quickly willed it away with his grace, but proceeded to shift uncomfortably.

Sam gave him a sideways glance, "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You implied that that was a reaction to lust." Lucifer said,

"Yeah, usually happens because you are being stimulated or because you see or think of something that turns you on." Sam explained.

Lucifer seemed to get warmer next to Sam. "Oh." Was all he could manage.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "What were you thinking about?" He asked.

Lucifer choked, "Nothing!" He shouted, far to quickly.

He heard Michael's daunting voice in his head, mimicking what Lucifer had said to Sam earlier,  _'Your thoughts are very loud, brother.'_  The other archangel teased. Lucifer swallowed thickly. He just wanted to curl up and die.

_'Shut up, Michael!'_

Lucifer could feel Sam staring at him, which only made things more uncomfortable.

"You should go to sleep now." He said quickly, and before Sam had time to react, Lucifer pressed his fingers to his forehead causing Sam to drop back into the pillows, unconscious once more.


	2. This Life's a Luxury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer and Michael start trying to make the Cage as comfortable as possible for their respective humans. Meanwhile, with the help of Gabriel, who is very much alive, and Meg, who isn't as reluctant as she should be, Castiel starts to develop a plan to free Sam from Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first chapter was a little short, but I plan on making the chapters at least 3000 words, if I can. Sorry this chapter took so long. I got busy, but here it is!  
> Also, I'm going to start adding a word count for the chapter in the end notes.
> 
>  **warnings**  
>  none for this chapter.

When Sam woke up, his head kind of hurt, because he had hit it on the ground when Lucifer knocked him out. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, more so just kind of annoying. He rubbed the spot for a moment, before looking around. He was alone, but he could hear Lucifer talking. He also noticed that the fire wasn't coming near him. Lucifer had put up some sort of barrier or something when he had moved away from Sam.

Sam tried to listen to what Lucifer was saying, but only caught snippets of the conversation. This frustrated Sam to no end, but he continued to pretend to be asleep, trying to listen. Michael was saying something about Dean not allowing Sam to rot in the cage, and Lucifer, while he argued the point effectively, obviously knew that his brother was right if his slouching posture had anything to say about it.

Sam was just now getting a good look at Michael in the cage. Oddly enough, he had taken on the form of John Winchester when he was young. Maybe twenty-something. Lucifer was still Nick. He had his arms folded across his chest, and he was glaring at Michael. He said something about finding a way to prevent any breach in the cage if it meant keeping Sam there.

Sam was strangely flattered by that. He definitely didn't want to stay here, so he hoped that Lucifer wasn't successful in finding a way to keep him here, but the fact that Lucifer wanted him here was kind of flattering. Even if it was probably just to torture him.

At that thought, Sam's gut twisted. He sighed and curled in tight around himself. A moment or so later, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder, "Are you okay, Sammy?" Sam flinched at the sound of the familiar voice, and as he started paying attention, he connected the voice to a face. Or at least a pair of boots that he knew very well.

"Dean..?" Sam whimpered, even though he knew that it was very unlikely.

There was a sigh from above him, and Dean's face entered his vision, "Sorry, kiddo, you're brother hasn't come for you." Was the response.

Sam looked up at Lucifer and sighed, "Could you not do that? It's making things worse." He grumbled.

Lucifer's image changed back into Nick, "I'm trying to make this more comfortable, and you're not giving me much to work with!" He said, only a little bit of heat in his voice. He wasn't really angry, and that made Michael giggle in the background. There was a thump and a groaning sound, as Lucifer turned around and blasted his brother backwards, "Go away, Michael." He snapped, sounding actually angry this time.

Sam could _feel_ Michael glaring at Lucifer, but he was gone in a heart beat when a wail cut out through the darkness.

Sam noticed that the flames were gone, and it was just darkness now.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I modified the cage with Michael's help, so now the hellfire can't hurt you." Lucifer answered.

Sam smiled a little, "Oh." He was relieved. Maybe he could ask to wander a little bit. His legs were numb, he hadn't actually walked around in a long time.

"You want to take a walk?" Lucifer asked, and Sam glared at him for reading his mind. However, he didn't hesitate in accepting the cold hand offered to him as help up.

Sam leaned heavily against Lucifer as he got used to his legs again, staring at his feet. Being held up like this made him a little sick to his stomach as he remembered the feeling of his bone breaking at Lucifer's hand.

"My current intent is not to hurt you, Sam." Lucifer assured.

Swallowing thickly, Sam nodded, "Alright... I think I'm good to stand on my own now." He said. When he looked up, the scenery wasn't pitch dark as far as the eye could see. Instead, there were trees. And a sense of peace. Sam didn't feel like there was something sinister hiding out somewhere in this forest. This thought made his stomach lurch. 'Something sinister is standing right next to you, idiot!' He shouted at himself. He looked to Lucifer, expecting some sort of remark, but there wasn't.

And then the sickening sense of familiarity washed over him. He dug through his thoughts, trying to think about how he knew this place. He chewed on his lip for a moment, before it came to him.

At one point, when Sam was like twelve, a hunt had taken a little over a month, they were hunting a whole bunch of ghouls, and it was near the end of the school year. They would probably have stayed longer to make sure the place was cleared if... Sam shook the thought away.

Sam had made friends with a boy named Garrett or something along those lines, it had been so long ago, and the memory so repressed. Garrett(?) had been kind of weird, like Sam, and Sam thought that was cool, so they befriended each other. He had liked to spend a lot of time in the woods, especially by a river that was about a mile off the path, and he and Sam had swam there a lot. Things were great, until a day before they left, John had went out to get Sam because it was getting dark. Sam didn't exactly remember the events leading up to the kiss, but John saw him kissing Garrett. John had been furious, and they had left the next day. A couple weeks later, there was more ghoul activity, but John said that another hunter would take care of it.

Sam had kind of suppressed every attraction he had ever felt for another man after that. Until fucking Gabriel showed up with his smug smile and cocky attitude. But, like everyone else that Sam liked, Gabriel had died.

Moral of the story, Sam probably should become an emotional sociopath. It'd be better for everyone.

Wait. Lucifer could read his thoughts.

Puppies. Milkshakes. Silk. Flowers. Starry nights.

Lucifer was now looking at Sam really weird.

Sam's stomach knotted a little as he came back to reality... or the reality that Lucifer had created, and he listened for the river, "Why are you going through my memories?" He asked weakly.

Lucifer frowned, "Well, I can only recreate memories, and yours are so much better than mine." He said, looking around. "I liked the look of this place. There's a river-" He pointed off to the left, "-Over there."

Sam slapped Lucifer's hand down back to his side, "Yes, I know where the river is." He said.

Lucifer frowned even more, "Did I make you uncomfortable again?" He asked.

Sam found himself shaking his head, "No, this is great." He said quietly.

Lucifer smiled obliviously, and nodded for Sam to follow him before he walked away, hands in his pockets. Sam walked after him, taking a while to get used to moving around again.

"So, are we still in the cage?" He asked after a long while of just the running water and the birds chirping.

Lucifer looked at him for a moment, then sighed lowly, “Yes. I simply altered what we see, and feel.” He said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam smile, and that warmed his lack of heart just a little. He even put on a half smile himself.

Sam turned to look at him, "Is it hard?" He asked.

Lucifer shrugged, "It's not necessary difficult. Just draining." He informed his cage-mate.

Sam frowned, "Draining?"

"Takes a lot of grace."

"Oh." Sam frowned even more.

Lucifer waved a dismissive hand, "I don't really even need my grace in here anyways, it's not like I can actually do anything in here but manipulate the scenery." He said with a nonchalant shrug. He played it off casually, but not being able to really use his grace sucked.

But, of course, he wouldn't tell Sam that. He would save that for making Sam feel guilty. Which would probably be necessary later.

Lucifer was tugged out of his thoughts when Sam's hand closed around his wrist, the warmth against his cool skin a bit surprising. He saw that Sam was dragging them towards where he had indicated the river was.

Once they got there, Lucifer perched on the edge of the bank, watching Sam. "Are we going swimming?" He asked, flashing an enigmatic smile.

Sam coughed once, and blushed a little, "Well, we could." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lucifer nodded, "After you." He said, gesturing towards the water.

Sam hesitantly took his jeans and his shirts off, before wading into the river. It wasn't as cold as he remembered it being. That was probably thanks to Lucifer. At any rate, he didn't mind it. Lucifer joined him after a brief moment, dunking his head under water, and coming back up right behind Sam.

Sam squeaked when Lucifer popped up behind him, and pulled him under the water. When Sam got free from Lucifer and resurfaced, his hair hung in his face like a mop. Lucifer burst out laughing when he saw Sam. "You look like a dork." He said with a warm smile.

Sam brushed his bangs from his face, "All thanks to you!" He shouted, though he had no real heat in his voice.

◈

After about an hour or two of splashing and swimming around in the river, Lucifer changed the scenery again. They were dressed and dried, and lying shoulder to shoulder on a black carpeted floor next to a fire.

Sam looked at Lucifer, and couldn't help but smile. The Devil was sprawled out on the carpet next to him, face buried in the soft material. "And you called me a dork!" He said with a bark of laughter. Lucifer waved him off and mumbled something incoherent into the rug.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

Lucifer sat up, "I said that the rug was soft." He informed Sam.

Sam chuckled and shook his head, "So, what's this place."

"This is from Adam's memories. An old ex's living room, or something."

Sam smiled and ran his hand through the carpet, "Adam has good taste." He said, noting the record player, with several records by the wall, including Insomniac by Green Day, and Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths.

"If you insist." Lucifer said with a rueful chuckle.

"What? I thought you liked the carpet!" Sam challenged.

Lucifer stuck his tongue out and Sam began to laugh, "Very mature!" He said, grinning wide at Lucifer.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and then suddenly tackled Sam, and Sam squeaked, "Oh, well that was an attractive noise." He said sarcastically, completely forgetting what he had been about to do.

"And you would know what is considered attractive, how?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I understand that you are considered to be very attractive by most humans." Lucifer said, sounding serious now. His tone, despite being all business, made Sam blush. "And I understand that your brother is also what is considered attractive... uh, both of them, but honestly, I don't see why?"

"Lucifer?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stop playing with my hair?"

Lucifer withdrew his hand from Sam's chestnut locks, looking mortified, like he hadn't realized he had, in fact, been playing with Sam's hair. That action was quickly followed by Lucifer rolling off of Sam. Sam bit back a whine at the loss of warmth.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Lucifer said after a long silence.

"It's alright, Luce." Sam replied almost immediately.

Lucifer just nodded slowly, "I wonder how Adam is handling hell."

"I can't imagine he's handling well." Sam said, sounding a bit sad.

"I'm sure Michael wont harm him."

"Michael had his stupid henchangel's nearly bleed Adam to death!" Sam snapped incredulously.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Sam." Lucifer said.

Sam got to his feet and crossed the room, sitting in the corner, behind the chair, mind set on ignoring Lucifer completely. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed that Lucifer didn't come after him.

◈

Adam's nose wrinkled, "No. I hate anything slimy. Fish is totally not an option." He said, putting his hands up defensively.

Michael laughed, "You are fucking picky!" He said. The blonde glowered at him and shoved him. "Hey! Be nice to me, human! I'm protecting you in here!" Michael said, his voice containing no real edge to it.

This made Adam laugh, his face lighting up in a way that was foreign to Michael. Never in all his years had he seen a smile quiet like Adam's, and that made him wary.

And sad.

Because he knew that the Cage would not be merciful on that smile, and slowly it would fade away into something bitter. And that made Michael feel... sick... if he had to guess what the knotting in his stomach would be described as by a human.

"Hey, are you okay?" Adam asked, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder, "You look like you're going to pass out."

Michael scowled and brushed Adam's hand from his shoulder, "I'm fine, Adam, just thinking." He said, shaking his head.

"About what?" Adam asked, folding his hands in his laps, eyeing Michael with earnest curiosity.

Michael waved a dismissive hand, "Just about how I'm going to get out of here." He played off his dread easily, looking up into the never ending pitch black above his head.

Adam nodded slowly, following Michael's gaze, before furrowing his eyebrows, "Hey, do I even need to eat here?" He asked rather suddenly, going back to the former topic as he looked back down at Michael.

Michael paused to ponder Adam's inquiry, "I do not believe that you need to eat in the Cage, no." He answered at great length. When he looked to Adam, the human was giving him a quizzical look. "What?"

"If I don't need to eat, then why were you asking about what kind of foods I ate?" Adam asked, tilting his head in an all too endearing manner.

Michael tensed for a brief moment, "Well..." He began slowly, "I was simply curious." He answered, before moving on to explain, "I have never had long term exposure to humans. I thought I might try and get to know the one that I'm locked in a Hell with." He finished, his voice having a bit of a defensive note. He hoped to his father that Adam didn't notice it.

He had, of course, no such luck, judging by the way Adam was looking at him now. His expression had gone from curious and endearing to a smile, a small, devious thing, that had Michael fidgeting.

"Whatever you say, big shot." Adam said finally, shrugging his shoulders. He saw confusion, and then relief flash over Michael's features. Each emotion was only there for a brief second before it was gone. Adam was sure he would have missed it had he not been watching Michael as close as he was.

Michael seemed eager to change the subject after that. He squared his shoulders and sat up straight, "Want to see something cool?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

Adam narrowed his eyes, and raise a skeptical eyebrow, "Is it going to hurt?" He asked.

Michael laughed and shook his head, "No. It's not going to hurt." He assured him.

Adam pressed his lips in a tight frown that Michael didn't like. After a moment, it was gone, and replaced by a small grin, "Sure. I guess." He said, "Show me."

Michael grinned as well, "Close your eyes." He instructed.

Adam seemed hesitant, but he did, finally, reluctantly close his eyes. As he sat there, he felt the ground change beneath his hands from the overheated floor of the Cage to what felt like grass, soft and cool under his palm.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Michael said, sounding excited.

Adam couldn't help but find it adorable. He opened his eyes, and found that he was not faced with the depressing blackness of the cage. Instead, he was met with a vast expanse of grass and flowers that went on as far as the eye could see. Rolling hills reached up into the blue sky, and soft white clouds hung scarcely over head. He looked around for a long while, gaze finally resting on Michael, "Where are we?" He asked.

"Well, we're still in the Cage. However, the scenery is the Dutch Countryside, sometime during the sixteenth century." Michael responded, looking very pleased with the fact that he had been able to impress Adam.

Adam laughed softly, and then he smiled, that stupid, toothy smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle a little. "How did you do this?" He asked, picking a flower from the base of it's stem.

Michael smiled as well, because Adam's smile was infectious, "It's just a memory." He said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"This is so cool." Adam said happily. However, his smile falter, "Did it take a lot of power?" He asked, eyebrows knitting again.

Michael shook his head, "Not at all." He lied easily.

Adam must have believed him, because he got to his feet, and waited for Michael to join him before saying, "Let's look around."

Michael rolled his eyes, because he could feel excitement coming off of Adam in waves. However, he still happily followed along as he walked through the fields.

◈

Castiel had been watching Dean again. He had to stop though, and he knew it, it was getting to the point of being almost stalkerish.

"You're practically stalking him." Came the female voice behind him when he got back to where he was staying at the moment.

He growled and glared at his demon companion, "Don't you think I know that, Meg?" He snapped.

Meg put her hands up defensively, "Hey, don't get mad at me." She said, "I'm just observing." She informed him.

Castiel shook his head and fell down on the couch, "Do we have everything we need for the ritual?" He asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. He knew he shouldn't take it out on Meg. She had done nothing to deserve the brunt of his anger. If anything, it was seeing Dean with that Lisa chick that was really getting under his skin. But he couldn't confront Dean. He had to let Dean have the "apple pie life", as he put it, that he wanted.

He had been so absorbed in thought that he wasn't sure if Meg had answered or not, so he glanced at her, "What was that?"

"Yes. I have everything that we need for the ritual." She answered slowly.

Castiel scowled at her, "I don't appreciate the tone, but thank you for gathering the supplies." He said, standing up. Meg was laying everything out on the table.

"Are you going to do this, or am I?" She asked.

"I am." Castiel answered easily.

Meg nodded, "Alright. Well, then you can set everything up. I'm going to go touch up the warding symbols." She said.

Castiel nodded, and gathered the supplies, taking everything down to the basement. He made a circle of holy oil on the stone floor before he set up the ritual. He had a book of matches ready if it worked.

After preparing the set up as he needed, and saying the few words, he dropped one match into the bowl, and waited.

Several minutes ticked by, and he was beginning to think the ritual hadn't worked when he heard a familiar voice behind him, "Cassie, what do you want? Can't let me stay dead, can you?"

Castiel spun around and dropped another match. Remarkably, Gabriel had appeared right in the center of the holy oil.

The archangel let out a deep sigh, "Really, Castiel? Is this absolutely necessary?" He asked, sounding irritated.

"Yes. You need to hear me out." Castiel said.

"What is it?"

"Sam is in Hell, and I need to figure out how to get him out."

Castiel raised an eyebrow as Gabriel's demeanor changed, even just slightly. He shifted a little, and for a quarter of a second, a frown appeared on his face, before he was smiling again.

"What is it with these Winchester boys and Hell? You got Dean out of there without my help, and you can get Sam out without my help as well. Now put this fire out." Gabriel said, waving a dismissive hand at Castiel.

"See, it's a bit more complicated than that." Meg spoke before Castiel got a chance. She approached the holy fire and examined Gabriel, who seemed disgusted to see her, "Sam isn't just in Hell, he's in the Cage. With Lucifer...  _and_ Michael." She said.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "Why do you expect me to help? I've done my fair share." He said bitterly.

"Pl-" Castiel began, but once more, Meg cut in.

"If you don't help, we'll just leave you here to rot away. As soon as I active these wards, no one will be able to find you, you won't be able to use your grace, and you'll be stuck here. Alone. Forever." She said simply.

Gabriel frowned, and rose his hands in defeat, "Fine. I'll help. Now let me out of this damn holy fire." He said.

"Promise?" Castiel asked.

Gabriel groaned and tossed his head back, "Fiiine. I promise that I will help you get Samsqautch out of Hell." He said.

Castiel put the fire out, "Great. Let's get started." He said, gesturing towards the stairs. The three of them went upstairs and sat around the small coffee table.

"So, does this mean I can be part of "Team Free Will" or whatever Dean called it?" Gabriel asked.

Castiel snorted, "Sure." He said with a chuckle.

Meg rolled her eyes, and shook her head, "I'm not sure how Dean would feel about that."

"Shut up." The two angels told her in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **word count**  
>  3668


	3. Short Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have returned.

So, I took a look at this again, and I remembered how much fun it was writing the first two chapters. I also noticed that someone had liked the first two chapters so much that it inspired them to write a fic of their own, similar to this one. Naturally, I was flattered, and I decided to follow up on this fic because I love you all. I apologize for such a long delay, but I got busy with a wedding and a new baby and other such things that drew focus from my writing. My updates will still be slow, but I promise I won't abandon this for nearly an entire year again.

  
I'm currently working on the next chapter, and it should be up within the next three days.

 

~Much love from Ebon


	4. You May be a Natural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel, Meg, and Gabriel are getting no where fast in their attempts to open the cage. Meanwhile, Dean is finding that he isn't exactly cut out for civilian life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late because I am the king of procrastination. I'm sorry this is chapter is so short, I'm having writers block. Still. But I tried.
> 
>  **warnings**  
>  no warnings.

Meg was sitting to the left of Castiel near the coffee table that they had all of their zero ideas laid out on. Gabriel and Castiel were in the middle of a heated discussion about which method would be more effective to open the Cage back up without letting Lucifer out. It was honestly more amusing then anything else, but Meg was utterly uninterested. She just wanted to break open the earth as soon as possible so that she could ditch this freak show. Mostly Gabriel.  
  
"Why don't we just ask Death to open the Cage up?" Gabriel snapped, sounding very exasperated. He wanted to get out of here just as bad as Meg did. Being around her made his skin itch. He looked at Castiel, "Wouldn't that just save a lot of time?"  
  
Castiel threw his hands up, "Except we'd be letting them all out! We need to find a way to get just Sam out of the Cage." He exclaimed. "We can't let Lucifer out. That would reflect stupidity on our part, and Dean would get mad at me." He said.  
  
Gabriel snorted and shook his head, "And there it is. This isn't even for Sam, is it Cassie? This is because you want to remain in Dean's good graces even after all the fucked up shit that's gone on between you two!" He was beginning to yell now.  
  
"What about the other-" Meg began, but both angel's looked at her with a death glare. She held her hands up in a surrendering motion, "Sorry, sorry." The words didn't sound very sincere, instead carrying a more irritated ring to them. She stayed silent while they were arguing before speaking up again, "With all due respect boys, this is getting us nowhere."  
  
They both looked at Meg and frowned. Gabriel looked like he was about to say something, but Castiel stood up, looking at his brother, “She’s absolutely right. We are getting nowhere by arguing.” He said in his ever serious voice that Gabriel found immensely annoying.  
  
Gabriel exhaled sharply and glared at Castiel, even though he knew that he was right. "Fine." He said at length, huffing softly and looking between Meg and Castiel, "Are we sure that we can't just go get Sam?" He asked, already knowing the answer. The Cage was specially designed for holding Lucifer, and if Michael couldn't get out, there was no way that Castiel, or even Gabriel could get in there to begin with, let alone get out with Sam.  
  
Castiel let out an annoyed sigh, "You already know that we can't just go get Sam." He said in a curt manner. He looked at Meg, folding his arms over his chest, "You've been to Hell more than either of us. Do you know any way that we could get Sam out?" He asked.  
  
Meg began to laugh, looking at Castiel incredulously, "You are astonishingly dim sometimes, Clarence." She said through her fits of laughter. She calmed down after a moment and shook her head, "I don't even know how to get to the Cage." She leaned back and wrinkled her nose, "What makes you think that I could possibly get Sam out? Also, what about-" She was cut off again.  
  
"If she doesn't know anything, why is she here?" Gabriel asked, giving Meg a suspicious look. "She's a demon." He turned his whiskey gaze to Castiel and arched his eyebrows in a questioning manner.  
  
Castiel looked uneasy all of the sudden, shifting from one foot to the other and swallowing nervously. He steeled himself and glared at Gabriel, "Leave her alone. She's only here because she's useful."  
  
Gabriel started to laugh and he shook his head, "Very well." He said, calming his amusement. He sneered softly at Meg, who liked mildly upset at Castiel for saying that the only reason that she was here was that she was useful. She didn't voice her feelings though, simply glared at Castiel.  
  
Castiel cleared his throat and sat down again, "Let's just get on with it." He said with a sharp frown. "I have places to be."  
  
Meg and Gabriel both let out an amused huff, and nodded before they started up their discussion again.

◈

"Dean, can you do me a favour?" Lisa called out from the kitchen.  
  
Dean looked up from the tv and set the beer he had down on the side table before standing up. "What is it?" He asked as he walked to the kitchen, leaning in the door frame.  
  
Lisa looked over her shoulder at him, "Can you go pick Ben up from his friend's house?" She asked.

Dean bit back a sigh, and nodded, "Of course." He said, forcing a smile. He went and grabbed the keys to Lisa's car before leaving the house. He stood outside for a good five minutes before getting in the car and resting his head on the steering wheel. This was boring. He couldn't do this. It just wasn't him.  
  
He sat up and took a deep breath, looking at his reflection in the rear view mirror, "This is what you wanted, Dean... This is what Sam wanted. You owe this to him." He told himself, frowning sharply. "Now, who's house is Ben at..." He thought for a moment before hitting the steering wheel. He got out of the car and went up to his front door, opening it, he leaned in, "Lisa, who is Ben with?" He called.  
  
Lisa sighed and leaned out of the kitchen entry way, "He's at Riley's house." She said.  
  
Dean nodded, "Alright. Thank you." He said, before spinning on his heels and going to get back in the car. He start the car and adjusted the rear view mirror before jolting back against the seat and then opening the door and getting out to look around, because he had sworn he'd seen Castiel in the mirror. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face, leaning against the side of the car, "Get it together, Dean." He whispered. He shook his head and got into the car, before going to pick Ben up.  
  
When he stopped in front of Riley's house, he checked the mirrors again, but saw nothing. With a dejected sigh, he got out of the car and went to knock on the door. He leaned in the door frame as he waited.  
  
Riley's mother, a pretty auburn haired woman that kind of reminded Dean of Anna, answered the door and smiled, "Hey, Dean." She said, "Come on in, I'll go get Ben." She stepped aside to let Dean in, and then walked off to go get Ben with a swing in her hips.  
  
Once Ben was in his custody, Dean drove home and dropped Ben off, "Tell your mom I went to the hardware store." He called, before getting out of his car and going over to the shed where he kept Baby, and he popped her trunk. He brushed his fingers through his hair and sighed, looking at all the weapons and hunting supplies he hadn't touched since Sam went to Hell.  
  
Hearing something move behind him, Dean whirled around, eyes darting to the corners of the shed. There was nothing there as far as he could see. He reached behind him to feel around for his EMF meter. Once he found it, he grabbed it and switched it on, pulling the antenna out. Scanning the entire small space, he got no readings. He slowly put it away and looked around again. The neighbor's dog emerged from behind some paint cans and Dean sighed. He shut the trunk and shook his head, "Get out of here." He said, shooing the dog towards the door. It barked at him and ran off once the door was open. Dean reluctantly got in Lisa's car and drove to the hardware store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **word count**  
>  1307 words

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you liked this chapter, drop a comment below, maybe leave a kudos. Both are great! Also, I like taking request, so if you have anything you'd like me to write, comment below and I'll totally see what I can do!


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